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Cool Coding by Robert Hansen and Cool Physics by Dr Sarah Hutton both illustrated by Damien Weighill.

When these gorgeous two books arrived there was a scramble as to who would look at them first – me, the boys or my husband! Aimed at older children and interested adults, both books are a fantastic introduction to the areas of science they’re focused on. My eldest is due to start GCSE Computing Science in September so he has claimed Cool Coding for himself – not before I’d had a read of course! Cool Physics will be a useful addition to the shelf in support of GCSE Science – and may even help me help my son with his Science homework now and then!! A continuation of the Cool Science series from Pavilion Books, Cool Coding and Cool Physics are great reads.

In the digital age, information books have a lot to compete with in terms of accessibility and interest with information being so readily available online. The best non fiction books have to work hard to attract their readers and these books are absolutely right up there with the competition being both user friendly and informative with a great layout. Even the size is appealing. The colourful illustrations and diagrams ably support the information being given and help describe the ideas for activities and experiment. Each book is full of fascinating facts – for instance did you know the first ever computer weighed twice as much as a full-grown African Elephant?! Or that Sir Isaac Newton was also warden of the Royal Mint?!

I’m always saying to students in the library that so many books present information in such a friendly way and are so much easier to navigate than the internet as a starting point for research; these books are a great example of this! Both present the information in short paragraphs, accompanied by bullet points or soundbite boxes which convey a wealth of ideas and a comprehensive, easy-to-understand overview of complex subjects. I would thoroughly recommend both books as great introductions to the topics they’re focused on and to support learning in these areas. They’re also a great option for children who are don’t want to read fiction and prefer fact books; even the most reluctant reader couldn’t fail to find these books fun!

It’s a week ago today that we were busy welcoming parents to the Bookchat Roadshow at Harlands Primary in Haywards Heath. This was a unique event, bringing together children’s authors, publishers, education specialists, along with local organisations and the Public Library Service to share ideas with parents and carers. And being the second event I was possibly even more nervous than the first time round! The first event had gone so well, would this one be the same? I can safely say it was even better, not least because after the main event, the authors ran workshops with 240 children at the host school!

“The atmosphere is positivelybuzzing” one parent said to me – and I couldn’t agree more. It really was exciting and I am so grateful to my brilliant fellow presenters, participating authors and the organisations who were exhibiting for helping to make it this way! After a lovely introduction by the school’s Headteacher, Jane Goodlace, I spoke to parents about encouraging reading and the importance of reading for pleasure. It’s not easy to do this in such a short time – there is so much you could say! But the crux was how to help your child’s enjoyment of reading through helping them choose the right book for them, taking into account their interests. I truly believe parents can be the best reading role models a child can have but as parents we often worry about our children’s reading and this can sometimes remove the joy of the experience – for both parent and child. If we can remove the stress from the situation and focus on what children want to read and get enjoyment from, the path to discovering the magic of stories is much smoother!

“It was really helpful to confirm I am doing the right thing and to give me new ideas” Parent feedback

I was followed by Jane Walker from Barrington Stoke, who spoke brilliantly about reluctant readers and making reading accessible. It was fascinating to hear how Barrington Stoke produce books that are so readable on a practical level and also really helpful to hear how whether your child can’t read or won’t read, there are ways to support them. “Reading is for everyone” Jane said.

Jane Walker, Barrington Stoke

Nikki Sheehan, author

Moving on from this, author Nikki Sheehan was totally inspiring on how to encourage children’s creative writing, with brilliant and achievable ideas that all parents – and of course their children – could benefit from. Her final comment was ‘be their inspiration’ – what better advice could you get?! I was delighted that both Kate Manning and Clementine McMillan-Scott from Scoop Magazine joined the line-up and shared the story behind Scoop. Their presentation focused on the importance of celebrating all kinds of stories, sharing that every reader is different and how we can all play a part in encouraging all types of reading and writing.

“Congratulations on delivering such an inspiring and positive event!” Parent feedback

Clementine McMillan-Scott, Scoop Magazine

Kate Manning, Scoop Magazine

On that note, the coffee break arrived, and the celebrating continued with attendees having the chance to peruse the exhibition. Parents had the opportunity to ask advice from organisations including local education service Discover & Be, dyslexia specialists Helen Arkell, Inkpots Writing Workshops and Nature Nuture Sussex. Even the Schools Library Service and the Public Library Service were represented with parents able to join up if they weren’t already members and find out about the Summer Reading Challenge! With a bookstall provided by Waterstones Haywards Heath, and Usborne books it was a hive of activity!

Kim, Local Area Children’s Librarian giving advice on the Summer Reading Challenge

Jane, Barrington Stoke sharing reading ideas

Suzanne from Nature Nuture Sussex with a young creative!

James, Waterstones Haywards Heath giving great book-ish advice

Sheila from Discover & Be talking about the educational support they provide

“Attendance should be compulsory; it was inspirational!” Parent feedback

The grand finale of the morning was the fantastic author panel Bookchat featuring four award winning children’s authors; Nikki Sheehan, Jamie Thomson, A F Harrold and Jenny McLachlan which I was very excited to be chairing. There is something magical about authors sharing their ideas – they create the worlds we inhabit when we read and I like to think some of the magic rubs off on those who hear them!

A lively chat ensued with questions from the audience and the authors shared their best tips for getting children into reading and writing and why stories are so important. As a parent myself I am eager to encourage my children’s reading and hearing the author’s childhood experiences of books and stories was just brilliant! It was the perfect consolidation of all the wonderful ideas and advice heard throughout the morning, but with the extra inspiration everybody needs.

“It was a fabulous morning with excellent presentations and entertaining authors” Parent feedback

After a quick lunch break, it was back to work for the authors who ran workshops with pupils in years three to six at the host school as well as signing lots of books! On visiting each classroom, I can’t tell you how incredible it was to see the look at the children’s faces as each author brought their stories to life and inspired them with ideas for getting into reading and writing.

Jenny McLachlan reading an extract from Stargazing for Beginners

Nikki Sheehan working her creative magic

Jamie Thomson aka The Dark Lord!

A F Harrold performing poetry

Schools don’t often have the opportunity to benefit from one author visit, let alone four, so this was a real achievement! As you may know this Roadshow was supported with funding from West Sussex County Council and I am truly grateful to them for recognising the value of the Roadshow and the importance of empowering parents and carers to support their children.

“The Roadshow was a great success…The combination of authors, publishers and specialists provided a focus for everyone in the audience…The workshops went down incredibly well with teachers and especially the children.”

Jane Goodlace, Headteacher of Harlands

I am so pleased we had fantastic photographer, Adam Hollingworth, to help capture some of the magic of the Roadshow! Feedback for the whole event has been even more positive than I could have hoped for and I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who supported the event and made it so special. Bring on the next one!

All photographs courtesy of Adam Hollingworth Photography.

If you would like to get involved please contact thebookactivist@gmail.com.

It’s really important we ensure all children can access reading, whatever their ability. And supporting dyslexic readers is a cause close to my heart – my 14 year old son is dyslexic so I am well aware of the struggles this can cause. We want to make sure the Bookchat Roadshow supports parents and carers of children of all ages and all reading abilities.

So I can’t tell you how pleased I am that Jane Walker from Barrington Stoke will be speaking to parents at the Bookchat Roadshow on 20th July. Jane says:

“At Barrington Stoke we are all about cracking reading. We have nearly twenty years experience of publishing fiction particularly for the reluctant, struggling and dyslexic young reader and I will be talking about how we remove the barriers so that everyone can access and enjoy a good book. I look forward to meeting families and being part of this excellent initiative. “

Jane will be sharing tips and interesting facts around ‘readability’ and reading for pleasure and a very brief overview of what Barrington Stoke can do to support readers of all ages.

We also have the brilliant organisation Helen Arkell exhibiting at the event and on hand to give advice to parents and carers.

Helen Arkell offer dyslexia support and advice to anyone who may need it, whether they think they have dyslexia or care for someone who may have dyslexia. They support children and adults alike through assessments, training, consultations and offer a variety of courses on dyslexia and related topics. Their aim is to “inspire people to believe in themselves, achieve their goals and succeed on their own terms”.

You can register for FREE to attend the Bookchat Roadshow, which takes place on 20th July 2017 at Harlands Primary School, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The Roadshow brings together authors, industry experts and people passionate about children’s reading and writing for pleasure. With inspirational talks and an author panel bookchat, plus a selection of exhibitors, we give a huge range of ideas to help support children’s creativity. Speakers include author Nikki Sheehan and also the team behind Scoop Magazine. Register online now!

I’ve been fortunate to interview some wonderful authors on my blog and I’m thrilled to say some of them are here today with wise words on reading in support of the Bookchat Roadshow and the importance of encouraging children’s reading for pleasure.

“I learned to love books, words and the worlds they created because of my Mum and now I try to pass on that love to my children – I’m so thrilled to see the Bookchat Roadshow helping this happen.”

Alice Broadway

“Reading to a child is a unique experience you share together. You become travelling companions and join them on an adventure into the unknown. You meet new friends, you face adversity. You share how you feel and wonder at the world that unfolds in front of you. Finding time to read to a child is precious time. Find time. Childhood is all too short.”

Gill Lewis

‘No one’s ever too old to be read aloud to. Better yet, why not read aloud together. Showing your passion for reading, whether that’s reading aloud with your child or reading books together so you can discuss them, is the best way to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Pick things you can both be excited by and always go beyond the page. What do you think happens after the end of the book? Which character is your favourite? Where would you love to go in the book or which object would you most want to have from it? Reading is as much about what you put into making the book come alive in your imagination as what’s on the page. Seeing that is the gateway to writing your own stories…’

Alexia Casale

“I love that this event is designed to support parents and carers to help and encourage their children to read and write for pleasure. That’s the key word here, for me. Pleasure. Not enough people read and write for pleasure. So anything that aims to encourage reading, writing and creativity as a form of pleasure, escape and fun, is definitely good in my book!”

Maria Grace

“I’m very pleased to be taking part in the Roadshow, because I like to read and I liked to read when I was younger too, and sometimes it’s nice to share those things that make you happy. In this day and age the empathy and other-person’s-shoe-ness that reading, both fiction and non-fiction, can help nurture and grow inside a human heart cannot be a bad thing to encourage, so let’s encourage it.”

A. F. Harrold

“I’m so excited to be taking part in the Bookchat Roadshow! As a reader, writer and story mentor with Little Green Pig, I’m very aware of the miracles that can happen when you allow children to take ownership of their reading and writing. There’s nothing better than the look on a child’s face when they realise that there really are no limits to the worlds they can explore and create, and as parents, teachers and librarians it really is within our power to help them to access to their own wildest imaginings.”

Nikki Sheehan

“Looking forward to receiving the oaths of allegiance on pain of death from all my minions at… no, wait, wrong speech. Umm…. Looking forward to helping parents getting kids reading and writing at the Bookchat Roadshow! Well, my books at any rate. Forget the other authors, pah!!!’

Jamie Thomson

“I’m thrilled to be participating in the Roadshow and meeting parents and carers to talk about the wonderful world of reading. When I was a teacher, I saw first hand the hugely positive impact reading has on the lives of children and young people. Reading is empowering, encourages empathy and provides a calm oasis in what can be a chaotic world. A love of reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child which is why I’m so excited to be taking part in the Bookchat Roadshow.”

Jenny McLachlan

The Bookchat Roadshow takes place on 20th July 2017 at Harlands Primary School, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. You can register for FREE to attend this unique event bringing together authors, industry experts and people passionate about children’s reading and writing for pleasure. With inspirational talks and an author panel bookchat, plus a selection of exhibitors, we give parents and carers a huge range of ideas to help them support their children’s creativity. Presentations will include author Nikki Sheehan on creative writing, the team behind Scoop Magazine on celebrating stories and Barrington Stoke and reading and accessibility. With giveaways galore this is an event not to be missed!

The Bookchat Roadshow is an event for parents and carers with children of ALL ages. We want to inspire and encourage those attending with practical advice and ideas to support children’s development as readers and writers from birth right through to teens! So we’re delighted Discover & Be will be on hand to chat to parents and carers about any Early Years concerns and advise about general teaching and learning worries for primary school age children.

Rhiannon and Sheila, the co-founders of Discover & Be, share a passion for hands on, creative learning experiences. Their goal is simply to make learning meaningful and inspiring for children. As the word ‘educate’, from the Latin educare, ‘to lead out’, suggests, Discover and Be aims to focus on not what is put into the child, but what can be led out of each individual. Sheila says:

“We are passionate about reading and sharing stories with children of all ages (even grown up ones). The Roadshow provides a great platform for parents, teachers, authors and reading experts, to get together to share ideas and experience.”

Discover & Be also has a team of qualified, experienced and passionate tutors who provide bespoke 1 to 1 private tuition across Sussex. Their tutors champion creative hands-on learning, with the primary goal of engaging the child’s interest to help pupils of all ages reach their potential. This approach not only achieves fantastic results, but ensures that lessons are fun and meaningful for the child.

“Reading really is the gateway to the curriculum so making it fun and interactive is the best way to get children excited about it. We love teaching phonics as these sounds are the building blocks that form reading. Empowering children with phonetical skills and watching them build sounds into words is amazing.”

Discover & Be’s weekly messy play sessions are themed, sometimes around a topic such as transport or the rainforest, for example, or often exploring a particular book. Rhiannon and Sheila feel it is important for all sessions to include a shared story with interactive aspects, thereby helping a story come to life. By engaging both the children and parents/carers in this way, reading for pleasure is encouraged and different approaches to sharing stories are explored.

“We feel it is important to access all learning styles and engage all abilities in this way, in order for each child to develop holistically and achieve the most out of each learning experience. We hope that our name ‘Discover & Be’ reflects this philosophy.”

Sheila will be joining us at the BookChat Roadshow on Thursday 20th July so do bring along any questions you have about making learning fun!

“The Bookchat Roadshow gives everyone the chance to come and chat about reading, phonics and writing too. This is definitely something we are proud to support. No matter how old you are, what could better than discovering a new exciting book that you can’t put down???……Chatting about it with your friends of course!!! So what are you waiting for? Get reading books and getting chatting about them.”

Parents and carers in the Sussex area with children of all ages can register for FREE to attend the Bookchat Roadshow, an event bringing together authors, industry experts and people passionate about children’s reading and writing for pleasure. With inspirational talks and an author panel bookchat, plus a selection of exhibitors, we give parents and carers a huge range of ideas to help them support their children’s creativity. Speakers include author Nikki Sheehan and also the team behind Scoop Magazine. The next event takes place on 20th July 2017 at Harlands Primary School, Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

Helping parents and carers encourage their children’s reading and creative writing for pleasure.

Completing our fantastic author panel at the Bookchat Roadshow is none other than the Dark Lord’s minion himself, the brilliant Jamie Thomson!

Supporter of the Book Activist since it’s launch in 2015, Jamie delighted the audience with his dark humour and tales of boyhood reading at the inaugural Roadshow last year. I’m so pleased he will be joining us again to inspire – and scare! mmwwahhhhh! – more parents and carers into encouraging their children’s reading and creative writing.

Jamie has a diverse background in writing having created stories in many forms from computer games to gamebooks to comics to novels. His book The Dark Lord: The Teenage Years won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and his most recent instalment Dark Lord: The Headmaster of Doom was released in February this year.

Jamie’s insight into working as an author and in the creative industries will be hugely helpful to parents and carers looking to encourage their children’s creativity.

The Bookchat Roadshow is an event designed especially for parents and carers bringing together authors, industry experts and people passionate about children’s reading and writing for pleasure. With inspirational talks and an author panel bookchat, plus a selection of exhibitors, we give parents and carers a huge range of ideas to help them support their children. The next event takes place on 20th July 2017 at Harlands Primary School, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Read all about our last event here.

Helping parents and carers encourage their children’s reading and creative writing for pleasure.

The delightful Jenny McLachlan will be participating in the Bookchat Roadshow!

Jenny is the author of the gorgeous Stargazing for Beginners and the brilliant Ladybirdz series for teens. Her books have been hugely popular for their warmth, wit, romance and fierce friendships. I am so pleased that she will be sharing her inspiration with parents and carers at the Roadshow! Jenny is well placed to share her experiences with parents and carers having worked as a teacher prior to becoming an author.

Jenny taught English to secondary and sixth form pupils and also as an Advanced Skills Teacher, delivered masterclasses to pupils, parents and teachers throughout the country. She will be participating in the author panel bookchat and sharing her thoughts on reading and creative writing. Jenny says:

“I’m thrilled to be participating in the Roadshow and meeting parents and carers to talk about the wonderful world of reading. When I was a teacher, I saw first hand the hugely positive impact reading has on the lives of children and young people. Reading is empowering, encourages empathy and provides a calm oasis in what can be a chaotic world. A love of reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child which is why I’m so excited to be taking part in the Bookchat Roadshow.”

The Bookchat Roadshow is an event designed especially for parents and carers bringing together authors, industry experts and people passionate about children’s reading and writing for pleasure. With inspirational talks and an author panel bookchat, plus a selection of exhibitors, we give parents and carers a huge range of ideas to help them support their children. The next event takes place on 20th July 2017 at Harlands Primary School, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Read all about our last event here.